I’ve written along these lines previously, but this is something I think about, so I’m at it again.

Does time spent with your girlfriend hold more weight now?  Does a beautiful late summer day mean more now than it did in your youth?  For that matter does any day bright or rainy?  Is a good meal shared with family and friends of more value today than it was as a child?

Though I still consider myself a fairly young man and hope to enjoy many amazing years yet to come, there is something about having a longer perspective—one I didn’t possess in my boyhood.

I cannot speak for others but, when a child. I never looked very far down life’s road.  Perhaps I hold that in common with most children.  All I really wanted was to play another ballgame, build another imaginary town using my Tonka toys, climb another tree, ride bicycles with my friends, or help dad with a project.

I loved waking on that first day of summer, free from the demands of school, ready for an adventure.  Mom or grandma would normally have breakfast ready, but if not. a bowl of cereal was all I required.  As I flew through the front door, I would call out my planned destination so as to put mom or grandma at ease, “Headed to the woods.  Going to Danny’s.  I’ll be at the park.”  In that day and age, we would not return except for lunch and dinner.  Though I’m certain there were dangers to children lurking in the shadows then too, those concerns weren’t on my friends’ radar or mine.  My mom knew the other neighborhood moms and they knew her, and they formed an informal alliance whose main concern was to see that we were safe.  In our young minds it always seemed there would be another glorious play day.  At times. I wish I still had this simple view of life, but adult responsibilities have a tendency to generate complications.  It is also impossible not to be touched by death, by loss, by sickness, and by other of the less pleasant sides of life if you’ve been around the sun a number of times.  These encounters have a way of teaching how ephemeral life is and can have a profound effect on your outlook.

How do you keep your head from taking a wrong turn when faced with hardship or the day-to-day ache and pain or irritation?  Do you choose the path of curmudgeon, or do you remember those childhood days when skies were blue?  For me, I admit it can take a concerted effort to maintain a good attitude when the cold wind blows.  I don’t know why our minds so easily gravitate toward the negative, but I can see why, in the biblical story of toppling the walls of Jerico, God dictated that none should talk to each other.  They would have griped and complained and talked themselves out of the job at hand.  I remind myself of this story when I’m tempted to grumble and instead endeavor to see the good, even if I feel I am faking it.  I repeat my positive affirmations over and over until the negativity trying to take root slips away—a meditation of sorts.  I sometimes wish I didn’t have to work at it so, but the alternative is unacceptable to me.

So back to my original questions: yes, time spent with my girl does mean more now because I see that love and companionship are miraculous.  And days do count for more because I am learning how amazing each minute spent taking breath means and God alone knows how many days remain on our ledgers.  And a meal prepared with loving hands and shared with family creates memories that last far beyond the event itself.  I say keep up the good fight and for every dark thought that enters your mind. have ten thoughts of light to counter and repeat them until all you see is peaceful and good.